


Patient

by Seiji_The_Ice_Drake



Series: Hopeful Determination Short Stories [6]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Family Bonding, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, I just really want to write a family bonding fic, Light Angst, Light Blue Soul Human has issues, Light Blue Soul Human is Flowey's emotional support human, Mainly self-indulgent, Male Chara (Undertale), Parent Toriel (Undertale), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Sick Character, Soft Chara (Undertale), but mainly light-hearted, everyone is trying their best
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29601534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seiji_The_Ice_Drake/pseuds/Seiji_The_Ice_Drake
Relationships: Chara & Light Blue Soul Human (Undertale), Flowey & Light Blue Soul Human (Undertale), Light Blue Soul Human & Blue Soul Human (Undertale), Light Blue Soul Human & Toriel (Undertale)
Series: Hopeful Determination Short Stories [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2040501
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Cass sneezed. Chara, Alyssa, Toriel and Flowey froze in their places as Cass sneezed again. She sniffled and rubbed her nose, slightly shivering. She looked up at the others meekly and frowned. “Sorry about that, gu-” Cass broke out into a coughing fit. Toriel walked up to Cass in a hurry and placed a hand on her forehead, reeling back a bit in shock.

“My child you are freezing!” Toriel picked Cass up from her place on the couch, the small human trying and failing to worm her way out of Toriel’s grip.

“I was comfy!” Cass protested with her arms reaching down towards the couch. Toriel shook her head and grabbed her purse from a coat rack.

“Cass, the last time you were sick, I could not do anything to help you!” Cass stopped squirming in Toriel’s arms as Chara and Alyssa made their way towards the two. Toriel looked back at them and sighed. “I am going to take Cass to the doctor to see what is wrong. I want you two to stay here and watch over the place in the meantime.”

“Is it mainly because you want someone to babysit Flowey?” Alyssa asked, pointing over her shoulder towards the kitchen table, where Flowey stared at them with an offended look.

“I can take care of myself!” Flowey called out, getting a chuckle from Chara, Alyssa and Cass, the latter breaking out into another coughing fit, silencing the others. Chara rubbed his arm and nodded.

“We’ll stand guard here.” He muttered, earning a nod from Toriel.

“Good.” She walked out the door with Cass still in her arms. Cass made small noises of protest as Toriel buckled her up to her seat.

“Ms. Toriel, I’m-I’m fine! It’s just a bad cold…” Cass sneezed and coughed at the same time, hovering a hand near her throat. Deep down she knew what this was. This would make the 2nd, maybe 3rd time she’s had Pneumonia. She just didn’t want Toriel to pour all of her savings each time Cass got sick like her parents did.

“My child, I know exactly what a cold is like, human and monster. I can tell that what you have is worse. We are going to the doctor to get you proper treatment.” Toriel stated in a stern tone. Cass nodded slowly and the two drove off towards Urgent Care. Cass slowly brought her knees up to her torso and hugged them tightly, tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

The sight and sound was drilled into her head by this point. Thousands upon thousands drops of rain colliding with the earth below with a watery explosion, like miniature missiles attacking their targets to ensure nothing remained. Even lying on a bed possibly a hundred or so feet underground, Cass could still see and hear the rain. A last little bit of salt to add to the wound the world decided to offer her as her parents decided to leave her alone in the forest, where she naively held on hope for 2 days that they’d have a change of heart. The thought of muddy water flowing down the hole she fell into briefly entered her mind, only for it to be lost the second she started coughing.

The door to the room opened up, and Cass instinctively sat up from the bed. A tall, fluffy person with the features of a goat walked in with a bowl. “How are you feeling, my child?”

“The same, sadly.” Cass replied, breaking down into coughs. She looked up at her caretaker with tears filling her eyes. _“I’m sorry, Ms. Toriel.”_

Toriel walked up and handed the bowl to Cass, who scowled at it slightly. It had looked like a regular soup which Cass loved, but knowing it was made with snails dampered her enjoyment of it. She ate it anyway, since it was burned into her brain that she needed the fluids. Toriel patted Cass’ hair as she took a spoonful of soup. “It is not your fault my child.” Toriel smiled while Cass glanced up at her. “Taking care of those who are sick is a skill for me. I will make sure you are all better as soon as possible.” Cass tilted her head at Toriel’s saddened expression, but left it be, taking on a sad expression of her own, tears running rampant down her face.

“I-” Cass started choking on her own words, opting to take another spoonful of soup. She started coughing again the moment she tried to swallow it, and hugged herself tightly with a sneeze. “I-I can barely-” Toriel motioned Cass to lay back down on the bed, taking the bowl away and panic growing on her face.

“Do not be afraid.” Toriel muttered. Cass wasn’t sure if that was for her or Toriel. “You will be better soon.” The caprine monster took hold of one of Cass’ hands and gripped it tightly. Cass returned the gesture, tears still building up in her eyes.

* * *

Back at the house, Flowey and Alyssa were sitting at the table, both staring with concern at the lone Chara sitting on the couch with worry, sadness and regret filling his face. The two looked back at each other. They knew why Chara would feel that way, but the fact that Chara had been silent the whole time made their concerns grow. Eventually, Alyssa picked up Flowey and walked towards Chara. “Um...I know the answer may be obvious but…” Alyssa sat down next to Chara. “Are you okay?”

Chara shook his head. “No. I’m not…” Chara leaned back into the couch and sighed. “I’m really worried...About both of them.”

“Both of them?” Alyssa raised a brow, and flowey tilted his head.

“I mean, it’s clear why you’d be worried for Cass, after all that cough was-hoo boy, but why exactly are you worried about mother?”

Chara glared at Flowey. “Oh, gee, why would I worry for Mom? It’s almost like I purposefully made myself sick, causing me and her birth son to die and maybe the sight of another one of her children getting sick, not to mention one that had died beforehand, may cause her some anxiety and fear from her previous experiences!” Flowey and Alyssa flinched away from Chara as he pinched his nose and sighed. “Sorry, I-Sorry…”

Alyssa patted Chara’s shoulder and Flowey meekly nodded. “Yeah, I guess I should’ve expected that answer…”

Chara looked down at the floor and wiped his eyes. “And with Cass...I don’t know how I should go about her sickness…”

Alyssa and Flowey looked at each other and back to Chara. “What do you mean?”

“Well, think about it, we’re technically siblings now and that would make us Cass’ older siblings.” Chara explained, getting a wide-eyed response from Alyssa and Flowey. “I know for a fact that none of us have any experience in that field.”

“I...Damn, I can’t believe I didn’t notice that!” Alyssa placed Flowey on the coffee table and stood up, pacing around it.

“So wait, you’re worried about how you, as an older sibling to Cass, should act about her sickness?” Flowey tilted his head and hummed. “Don’t quote me on this, but wouldn’t an older sibling usually just be passive and maybe just check in with their sick siblings every once in a while?”

Alyssa shook her head and knelt down next to Flowey. “Maybe with other people and Kris, but most of us have had some variation of the same experience, whether it's surface life or what happened with us underground.” Alyssa smiled softly and hummed. “That’s a bond that separates us from other families. Our experiences. Besides, I’m sure Cass would appreciate us looking out for her.”

Flowey sighed and nodded. “You have a point.”

“She’s experienced the journey underground from the very beginning, being the first one I met in the void.” Alyssa and Flowey glanced at each other. “It wouldn’t feel right not helping her out.” Chara stood up from the couch and stood with a slight aura of confidence. “No matter what, we need to show that we’re willing to help Cass out!”

“Yeah!” Alyssa held out her hand in front of Chara, who looked at her with a raised brow.

“Alyssa, I don’t think we actually need to do that.” Chara muttered with Flowey nodding in agreement.

“It does seem kinda unnecessary.”

Alyssa looked at the two and brought her hand back to her side. “You guys are no fun.”

* * *

Cass was feeling slightly better, being able to breathe without a sharp pain in her lungs. She wasn’t sure why, but she decided to use this newfound opportunity to get a better look around Ms. Toriel’s house. Toriel was out to grab a few things, which made Cass feel utterly alone. There were plenty of people nearby, so Toriel leaving the house only made her wonder why she didn’t ask one of her neighbors for help. Were they neighbors if they wandered around outside your home? Cass shrugged the thought away and wandered into the kitchen. Toriel would always mention her pies, but her full priority was anything that made Cass recover faster, much to the young girls dismay.

She glanced around the living room, taking in the homely feel of it. She was a little upset that the TV was so small and far away from all the chairs, but she was glad Toriel had one to begin with. The thought of watching her favorite shows, even far below the ground, made her nice and warm inside, which helped a lot with her current situation. She began to wander back towards the bedroom, only to stop and glance at the stairs leading below the house. She was never allowed to go in the basement or the attic of her old home and curiosity was no easy thing to defeat.

Running her hand across the smooth stone walls, Cass walked down the long corridor of the basement. She pondered if all basements were like this. Maybe not, but none of her friends had basements, so she didn’t have anything to compare this one to. At the end of the corridor was a large door, left open just enough for Cass to squeeze through without opening it any further. Curiosity getting the better of her, she pressed on. The corridor continued until she ended up in a room similar to the one she wandered into when she first fell down. The grass in the middle feeling soft despite her socks. She huffed when she noticed another door a few feet away from the middle.

_“If this leads to another--Another corridor, I’m heading back to bed”_ Cass muttered with a few coughs in between as she approached the door. When she got up close to it, she peaked through the cracks to see what lies beyond the door, her already cold skin getting colder from the stone of the door. Suddenly the door opened and Cass fell forward from her spot and ended up face first into snow. Gaining new found energy, she shot up from the snow in a flash. _“COOOOOLLLLD!!!”_

The sound of stone grinding against more stone echoes from behind Cass and she turned around to see the door had closed from behind her. The cold from her sickness and the cold from the snowy climate attacked Cass from all sides, slowing her down and making it even harder to breathe. She crawled up to the door and slammed her fists on it as hard as she could. “Wai--I want to go back in!” Cass broke out into coughs and sneezes as she tried to pry the door open with what strength she had left. She fell backwards and back into the freezing snow. She shakily stood back up, tears nearly freezing on her face. _“I made a mistake….”_

Cass tried her best to move forward, seeing as that was now her only option since Toriel didn’t know where she went and Cass didn’t have the strength to open the doors. The pain from her lungs and the sharpness of the cold air drained her of her strength, and she collapsed in front of a plant just a little ways away from the door to the Ruins. Cass let out small silent sobs as she curled up into a ball, lying on the cold snow.


	2. Chapter 2

Cass and Toriel entered the Urgent Care, and Cass’ muscle memory began to kick in. After going to and leaving it several times, Cass started to pick up how things worked. Especially in her case, where her and her parents would walk in and the people behind the desk would already have the price tallied up and any paperwork needed would be done within seconds. Cass began walking ahead of Toriel, holding back any coughs and trying her damn best to ignore the sharp pain in her lungs every time she breathed.

The lady behind the desk looked to Cass who was resting her head on the desk as Toriel approached. She quickly let out a small gasp at the sight of the monster. “Well, we certainly weren’t expecting the queen of monsters to show up!” Cass could hear Toriel having to resist correcting the worker. She didn’t see herself as a queen and Cass would always feel bad for Toriel when people only saw her as that. The worker gave a nervous chuckle and cleared her throat. “So, are you two here for an appointment or-”

“You should already have everything related to me.” Cass quickly said. “Cassy Mae Valentine.” She tried her best to keep her mouth closed while coughed, eventually failing and coughing into her arm. The worker hummed for a bit before nodding.

“Right, you were one of the children that disappeared at the mountain.” The worker turned to her computer and began typing. “I can’t imagine what seeing the surface again must feel like for you. Especially at such a young age.”

Cass looked up at Toriel, who seemed to look both relieved and a little surprised. Cass felt a little bit of relief as well. After monsters returned to the surface, with every child deemed ‘missing’ in tow, a few people began making up stories about the underground being in some wormhole. Cass wasn’t really sure about the full rumor, since every explanation for it made her head spin with all the science jargon involved. At least, she thinks it was science related, since Sans and Alphys both took an interest in the rumor, for wildly different reasons. Everyone else just accepted that the missing children were back.  The only group of humans that actually knew the whole truth were Luke’s family. They were glad to have Luke back and even had sympathy for Asgore and understood why it had happened, but Cass couldn’t help but wonder what their expressions were when they first heard the news.

“Let’s see...Ah, here you-” The worker froze and went wide eyed, flinching back a bit from her computer. Toriel tilted her head while the worker sheepishly looked back at the two. “Um...And...What exactly seems to be the issue?”

“I am not re-”

“Pneumonia.” Cass answered, cutting Toriel off. The monster looked down to Cass with shock filling her eyes while the worker looked back at the computer and frowned.

“We’ll...Get you in as soon as possible, okay?” Cass nodded and retreated to one of the waiting room chairs, leaving the rest to Toriel. She sneezed into her arm, followed by a coughing fit. She hugged her knees as her coughs died down, only partially keeping tabs on what the worker was telling Toriel. If anything, this was going to be less about Cass getting a quick check up and more about a doctor telling Toriel about what to do. Cass closed her eyes and buried her face into her knees, sobbing as quietly as she could.

* * *

Cass should’ve been in her room, where the humidifier was, sleeping peacefully in her bed. Unfortunately, night terrors had another plan in mind and now Cass was out of bed, clutching a stuffed bear in her arms as she looked for her parents. They weren’t in their room, as the door was open and the lights were off, so the next best thing was that they were either in the kitchen or the living room. Cass made her way to the stairs, where she could see the light from the kitchen through the doorway. She slowly started to walk down, when the sound of paper made her freeze in her tracks. She opted to sit down on the top step, listening intently and trying to ignore the pains from her chest.

_ “We just barely have enough for our bills.”  _ Cass’ dad said with a long sigh.  _ “Looks like our medical bills haven’t completely drained us yet.” _

_ “I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to pay it off though.”  _ Her mom replied with a tired voice. Cass squeezed her stuffed bear tighter.  _ “I know it’s not her fault, but it feels like every time we get a paycheck, we have to spend a majority of it on medicine and hospital visits.” _

_ “It doesn’t help that the school won’t give her anymore sick days, which makes it all the more likely she’ll get sick.”  _ Cass clutched onto her shirt and tried her best not to give herself away. She tried her best to feign ignorance at what her parents were saying, but deep down she knew.  _ “But you have a point. If this keeps up-” _

Cass shook her head and stood up from her eavesdropping location, backtracking to her room with tears rolling down her face. She closed the door as quietly as she cold and climbed back into bed, wrapping herself in her blanket and holding her bear as tight as she could while sobbing as silently as she could.  _ “I’m just a burden to them…” _

* * *

Toriel entered the house with Cass in her arms, one of which also holding a bag. Chara, Alyssa and Flowey all perked their heads up at the sound of the door opening. Chara was the first to stand up from the table, with Alyssa and Flowey close behind. “So what’s the issue?”

Toriel sighed and held a finger up. “Just a moment.” She set the bag down on the table and carried Cass up to her room. Chara quickly looked inside the bag, which held some bottles of cold medicine as well as a prescription bag. Alyssa and Flowey looked over his shoulder, and Toriel came back down as they quickly backed away from the bag. She pulled out her chair from the table and sat down. “Cass has Pneumonia.”

Chara and Alyssa winced, while Flowey just tilted his head. “Pneumonia?”

“It’s a respiratory sickness.” Chara replied. He looked at Toriel with a worried expression. “When did that happen?”

“I am not sure, but given the symptoms, it is clear that she had it during her time underground before she-” Toriel sighed and ran a hand down her face. “There is more. It seems that her immune system is…”

“It’s not as strong as ours, is it?” Alyssa asked, earning a nod from Toriel.

“It is a problem she was born with. Cass is more susceptible to illness than the average person and she takes longer to get better.” Toriel propped her arms on the table and rested her head on her hands. “I will have to head to the store tomorrow to get stuff that could help prevent her from getting an illness.”

“Like a mask?” Chara asked. Toriel nodded.

“And perhaps some for the rest of us.” Toriel wiped her eyes and sighed. “I hope you all will help Cass feel better and not leave all the work to me.”

“Who do we look like, Sans?” Alyssa jokingly asked, getting a laugh out of everyone. She looked over to the stairs and sighed. “Is...It alright if I visit her real quick?”

Toriel nodded and gestured to the bags. “If you are going up there, be sure to take some of these up to her.” She pulled out all the items from the bag and set them on the table. “I would recommend the prescription and painkillers first before the cough medicine.”

Alyssa nodded and grabbed a plate to set everything on. Flowey tilted his head and hummed. “I...doubt she’d want to be alone, so maybe I could keep her company while she recovers?”

Toriel raised a brow. “Are you sure it would not get you sick?”

“I’m literally a flower. The only reason I’m able to talk and see is through sheer willpower. I think I’ll be fine, since I technically don’t have lungs.”

“The only thing Flowey has to watch out for is the weather. He’ll be fine.” Chara commented, raising a brow at Flowey all the while. “Although you wanting to keep her company is still questionable though.”

“Wha-” Flowey looked up at Chara with a sense of betrayal. “What’s that supposed to mean!?”

Alyssa giggled and poured some cough medicine in the plastic cup that came with the bottle. “I know we all agreed we’d help and we do know you actually have a small portion of your SOUL, but to be honest it’s hard to not see you taunting Cass about her sickness like how you probably would if you didn’t have any portion of your SOUL.”

“Wow…” Flowey deadpanned. He shook his head and looked up at the others with a challenging look. “Just watch, I’ll be the best companion for her while she’s recovering!”

Chara and Alyssa chuckled as the latter picked up Flowey's pot and made her way to the stairs. “We know you will. Cass seems to hinder your destructive tendencies.” Flowey didn’t know if that was reassuring or not.

* * *

It had been a month since she last got sick and since then, Cass went through extreme lengths to keep herself healthy. Well, extreme as a child could be anyway. She managed to convince her friends to keep a safe distance from her, she carried hand sanitizer with her everywhere, and used it every chance she got. Her parents seemed happy at her efforts, and for the first time in a long while, the family went camping. They’d been able to do it before the news of Cass’ immunity problems were made clear. Cass liked the outdoors.

The smell of the trees, the stars up in the sky, the only part that made Cass truly wary of the woods was that their camping spot was nearby Mt. Ebott, where it was said monsters lived. Well, now the family had to worry about the campfire, since the smoke might cause problems with Cass. Above all though, for the first time in a long while, Cass didn’t feel like a burden. Little camping songs, s'mores, sightseeing. Cass and her parents had been happy all day, without any stress.

“Cass, it’s time for bed.” Her mom picked Cass up from her seat. Cass was a little disappointed, wanting to see the stars more, but didn’t try to fight. Her mom brought Cass to her own little tent and she went inside her sleeping bag, zipping it up as far as she could. Her mom knelt down and kissed Cass on the forehead. “Goodnight, Cass.”

“G’night Mom.” Cass replied sleepily. “Today was a fun day. I hope tomorrow is even better.” Her mom didn’t reply. She ran a hand through Cass’ hair and left the tent, making sure to zip it up for Cass. She yawned and closed her eyes. The fact that they were able to do this made Cass happy for her efforts. If she kept them up, her parents wouldn’t have to worry about money or anything related to hospitals. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

The cold air was what woke her up. She groggily rubbed her eyes and yawned. She blinked a few times and took in her surroundings. She was in her tent, but it didn’t look like the sun was up yet.  _ “Why am I so sensitive to cold?”  _ She whispered under her breath.  _ “I’m awake now, so no use trying to sleep again…”  _ Cass unzipped her sleeping bag and crawled out, putting her shoes back on before unzipping the tent. When she stepped out, she was met with a strange sight. Only her tent remained. Her parents’ tent, the car, her  _ parents  _ were nowhere to be found.

“What the-” She looked around the campsite, seeing the markings of where her parents’ tent used to be, as well as a trail of footsteps all around the sight, stopping and being replaced with car tracks. “No…” Cass hugged herself and went wide eyed. “No...They couldn’t have…” She fell to her knees and began hyperventilating. “This...This isn’t real...This is a nightmare...There’s no way they would have…” 

Cass fell forward, stopping herself with her hands as she tried to catch her breath. After a few seconds, she finally noticed something on the ground that appeared to have been stepped on and covered in dirt as a result. She picked it up and looked at it closely. It was a small plastic knife. The ‘blade’ was red and the hilt was black. When she pressed down on the point, the plastic red blade retracted into the hilt and shot back out after she removed her finger from the point. The paint on the hilt was fading and the blade had several small scratches on it.

_ “This is...Dad’s toy knife.” _ Cass muttered. She remembered how he’d tell a story about him winning it at an arcade and how it was the one thing he managed to win from it.  _ “He wouldn’t leave this behind...Unless he really needed to…”  _ Cass kept her gaze glued to the knife. After a few seconds, it clicked in her mind. “It must’ve fell out when they...So maybe…” She ran a finger over the plastic blade and then put in her overalls pocket. “Don’t worry...They’ll be back. They just forgot us is all…” Cass sniffled and wiped her eyes. “They’ll be back…”

A brief prick of water touched down on Cass’ nose. She hovered a hand over it while a few more pricks were felt on her hand and a few dots of water appeared on her sweater. She looked up at the sky as the drops of water descended faster and faster and in greater numbers. _ “Oh no…”  _ Cass quickly retreated to the only shelter she has, her tent, which wouldn’t be very effective after a while. She hugged her knees and watched and listened to the rain fall to the earth. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she buried her face into her knees, sobbing.  _ “They’ll come back….They have to...They…” _

* * *

Alyssa knocked lightly on the door before Flowey opened it with one of his vines. “Cass? Are you awake?” Alyssa shut the door and walked over to a nearby nightstand, setting Flowey and the plate of medicine down. A small sniffle got both of their attention and Alyssa knelt down by the bed. “Cass?” Alyssa laid a hand on the lump on the bed, and Cass slowly lifted the blanket from her face, which was stained with tears. Alyssa frowned and brushed aside some hair from Cass’ face. “I know that having Pneumonia must suck, especially with a weak immune system, but we’ll be here to help you through it, so there’s no need to cry…”

Cass sniffled and shook her head.  _ “I don’t want to be a burden!”  _ Cass sat up and fresh tears were starting to descend down her face. Alyssa and Flowey glanced at each other and Alyssa held one of Cass’ hands.

“Cass you’re not a burden. Lots of people get sick more easily than others and-”

“I’m always a burden!” Cass coughed out. Alyssa frowned while Cass tightened her grip on Alyssa’s hand.  _ “They abandoned me because I was the reason we barely had money!” _

“They?” flowey tilted his head. “Who are you-Ah...Oh…” Flowey lowered his face while Alyssa hovered her free hand over her mouth.

“Abandoned? I thought you said they forgot you…”

Cass whimpered and shook her head. “I really did think that but…” She hiccuped and clutched her chest in pain. Alyssa used her free hand to gently hold onto Cass cheek, wiping away the tears from her cheek with her thumb. She scooted closer to Cass and embraced her and Cass accepted it, latching onto Alyssa’s arms and crying into Alyssa’s shirt.  _ “They left me in the woods...Just because-”  _ Cass buried herself into Alyssa, stifling as many coughs as she could to avoid getting her sick, while Alyssa rubbed circles on the younger girls back.

Flowey’s little beady eyes glanced up at the two. He couldn’t imagine what Cass must be going through nor could he even begin to picture what must’ve gone through her brain when it happened. He growled at the thought of Cass’ parents willingly leaving her, a small defenseless child, in the woods just because she got the sniffles more than the average person. “Your parents were fucking jerks.” Flowey thought out loud. He quickly went wide-eyed as Alyssa glared daggers at him. He covered his mouth with his leaves and winced. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Cass separated herself from Alyssa, breaking into a giggling fit with a few coughs in between.

“Swear...But, I don’t know, maybe you have a point.” She wiped her eyes as the two frowned and looked at her with sympathy filling their eyes. “It’s weird...They were understanding at first, but maybe that was just to make me feel better. The hospital visits would always drain their money…” Cass sniffled and sighed.  _ “Maybe they always hated me because of it…” _

Alyssa once again brushed away some hair from Cass’ face and smiled softly. “That’s in the past now, Cass. You have us. And we’re not like them.” She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Cass’ forehead. “We’re not going to abandon you just because you get sick.” Cass looked up at Alyssa and smiled widely. Alyssa followed suit and then gestured to the plate. “Now, let’s have you take your medicine and get you in more comfy clothes for bed, since you’re going to be stuck in it for a while.”

Cass giggled and nodded. “That sounds good!” She glanced at Flowey and her smile grew. “I’m guessing you’re going to keep me company?”

Flowey nodded and let out a small hum. “It’s not like anyone else could do it. They’d get sick.” He stuck his tongue out at Alyssa and the older girl rolled her eyes while Cass giggled. 

“It’ll be like a slumber party!” She sighed and grabbed the glass of water from the plate. “It’ll be nice to have some company while I’m stuck in bed for once…”

“Well I hope you two make the most of it.” Alyssa gave Cass the painkiller and prescription medicine. “It’s not like you guys won’t have stuff to do. You pretty much already bonded over playing video games, so I imagine you’ll be doing that more.” The two nodded, getting a smile from Alyssa.

* * *

Chara entered his room and briefly stared outside his window. There was still daylight outside, meaning he had enough time to get started.  _ “Now, where did I leave them?” _ He searched every drawer in his room and even rummaged around his closet. “Where are they? I could’ve sworn…” He pushed aside his clothes and searched further in his closet, spotting an old box slowly gathering dust.  _ “Bingo!”  _ He grabbed the box and walked over to his desk to set everything down. Inside the box were various types of yarn and a couple of knitting needles. Chara tapped his foot and hummed. _ “God, when was the last time I knitted something?” _

_ Ring...Ring… _

Chara pulled his phone out of his pocket and saw that Asgore was calling him. _ “Ah, right, his sweater!” _ He pressed the green button and helsd the phone up to his ear. “Hey, Dad!”

_ “Howdy Chara!”  _ Asgore’s voice echoed through the phone.  _ “I was just calling to see if you’re all ready for your stay this week.” _

Chara chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek. “Um...About that...Um, I hate to say this, but I’m gonna have to take a raincheck.”

Asgore made a slight hum.  _ “Well that’s quite alright. May I ask why?” _

“Cass is sick with Pneumonia and I think it’s best if I stay around.”

_ “Oh dear, that sounds serious. I hope she feels better soon.” _

Chara sighed. “Sadly, soon isn’t a thing for her. Cass’ immune system is apparently pretty weak, so if she gets sick, which is more likely for her, it’ll take her longer to recover.”

_ “I see…”  _ Asgore’s voice went soft.  _ “Well, as long as you’re all there to help, I’m sure she’ll have a smooth recovery. Wish her the best for me!” _

  
“I will. Have a good day, Dad. Love you. Bye.” Chara hung up the phone and set it back in his pocket. He looked down at the knitting supplies and picked up the two knitting needles. He held them in his hands, trying to get a feel for their weight again. His mind flashed to when he first learned how to knit, which was from one of his friends' older brother, who did it in his free time. Chara chuckled at the small memory and looked down at the yarn, mentally choosing which colors would work best. After a few minutes, he took the yarn he wanted out of the box and sighed.  _ “Muscle memory, don’t fail me now…” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was the Urgent Care part accurate? Probably not...


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some Chara and Cass bonding via Chara telling a small backstory.

The past couple of days haven’t been too eventful in Flowey’s eyes. Cass managed to get Chara to mention that he was knitting something for her, which Cass got excited about soon afterwards and the only things that seemed to pull Chara away from that little project was visiting Cass with soup and medicine in hand. When he was too busy it was either Toriel or Alyssa that brought said items. Cass was happy that everyone was chipping in and finding their own ways to cheer her up. Chara, as earlier stated, was making Cass something, taking time off of his little project to make sure she was doing well. Alyssa would always hum or read bedtime stories for Cass until she and Flowey went to bed, even managing to fall asleep alongside them at certain times, which worried both Toriel and Cass. Toriel, in both of their opinions, was a little much. They understood why, given that both Chara and Cass first died when they were sick, with Toriel being almost completely unable to save either of them, so whenever Toriel had brought Cass food and medicine, she’d talk with her and Flowey for literally quite a few hours, up till Cass needed to take more medicine. Most of the things Toriel would talk about were mainly to help keep Cass up in terms of education, since no one wanted to risk Cass getting worse or anyone else getting sick. Cass was fine with it though, considering Flowey was there to keep her company when everyone else would be away.

As for Flowey, well he thought it’d be boring if they just did nothing all day and Cass had to agree with him there. Luckily for both of them, during the first week of arriving on the surface, Toriel spoiled everyone and Cass ended up getting a handheld gaming device with a few games for it. One in particular stood out to Cass, mainly because of the cover art, so the two decided to play it first. Unfortunately for Cass, it was rather hard, but Flowey seemed to understand the controls more, despite not actually playing it, so he opted to explain parts that confused her and after a few hours of first playing and gushing over the cute design of the main character and others, Cass got a hang of it. At the moment, she was bobbing her head to the rhythm of an accordion from the game that appeared in the main hub along with a few new NPC’s.

Flowey looked over to Cass and huffed. “So are you just going to listen to the soundtrack the entire day? Is that what we’re going for?”

Cass rolled her eyes and went inside the tent the music was coming from, which made it louder. “You can’t really complain when you’ve done the same!” Her voice hoarse and scratchy from coughing. She silently giggled while Flowey nodded.

“Okay, that’s fair.” Flowey tried his best to look over at the dialogue the NPC inside the building was saying, which prompted Cass to pick up his pot and set it next to her so he could see the game better. Flowey managed to hold back a smile and kept a neutral face, which helped him when it came to the dialogue, since he was the one who read it all. “‘You called us? Speak to master.’” Flowey nodded his head and hummed. “Straight to the point. I like it.”

“You would…” Cass smiled and motioned the character further inside the tent, where the accordion was soon accompanied by a drumroll. In a cloud of red smoke, a new NPC appeared, who turned their head towards the main character and spoke. Cass and Flowey both cringed at the sound of their voice.

“Yikes…” Flowey shook his head. “That one needs a glass of water.”

“If you want I could voice this one.” Cass offered. Flowey looked up at Cass and shook his head.

“No, it wouldn’t have that feel still.” Cass tilted her head and Flowey sighed. “Your voice is raspy from coughing, while he sounds like he swallowed a cheese grater.” Cass silently giggled while Flowey looked back at the screen. “I’ll just do a deeper voice. I’m good at those.” A knock at the door drew both their attention from the game. It opened up and Chara walked in with a bowl, steam rising from within. Cass set the game aside and smiled. Chara smiled back and approached the nightstand.

“How are things going?” Chara set the bowl down on the nightstand and sat on the bed, Cass holding onto Flowey to prevent him from tipping over due to the movement. Chara chuckled at the sight. “Are you sure risking dirt getting on your bed is a good idea?”

“Flowey couldn’t see the screen.” Cass replied, coughing into her arm. Chara sighed and nodded.

“Alright then, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if dirt gets on your bed.” Chara warned. Cass nodded and did an ‘ok’ sign.

“We’re doing good, to answer your question.” Flowey said. He tilted his head towards the game. “We just got to this one dude who sounds like he smoked four packs of cigarettes in the last hour.”

Chara burst out laughing at Flowey’s descriptions and Cass picked the game back up so Chara could hear what he meant. They all silently read the dialogue until the NPC actually made another sound in the game’s strange stand in for voices. Chara winced and let out another chuckle. “Wow, that description is pretty accurate!” He wiped a tear from his eye and his chuckles started to die down. “It’s nice to know you have something to do while you’re under the weather rather than just wait for it all to be done with.” Chara sighed and Cass looked up at him sadly.

_ “I guess it’s no surprise what you had to deal with.” _ She whispered.

“What made it worse is that I pretty much had to nurse myself back to health.” Chara huffed and shook his head. “Those few times were not fun…”

“The fact that you were able to live long enough to meet us is a miracle…” Flowey deadpanned. Chara shrugged and Cass nodded, agreeing with Flowey’s assessment. Her eyes then widened and she smiled widely.

“Hey Chara, do you think you’d be willing to knit some more after you're done with whatever you’re making?” Chara raised a brow and folded his arms.

“Maybe. It’s been so long since I’ve done it and after I’m finished with my current project, I'm not sure if I’d continue…” He hummed and turned to Cass. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…” Cass set the game aside and scooted closer to Chara, holding Flowey in her arms to avoid knocking his pot over. “Before I fell down, I saw a video of someone knitting an animal, and I remembered that yesterday before falling asleep, so-”

“Sorry to say this, but that seems out of my expertise.” Chara interrupted, shaking his head. Cass would’ve questioned what ‘expertise’ meant, if Toriel wasn’t the one taking care of them. “And I’m pretty sure the person who taught me wouldn’t be able to do that either.”

Cass and Flowey both made inquisitive hums. Cass stood up and swapped Flowey with the bowl of soup, sitting back down next to Chara with her eyes filled with curiosity. “How did you learn to knit?” 

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering about that since you made that sweater for father.” Flowey added. Chara chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, it’s nothing too special.” He quipped. Cass looked up at him with a disappointed look on her face as she gulped down a spoonful of soup. Chara rolled his eyes and smiled. “A friend of mine before I fell had an older brother, and he was a bit of a dork.” Cass giggled and Flowey shook his head.

“And what made him different from the rest of the dorks you hang out with?”

Chara chuckled. “First, a question: What comes to mind when you hear the word captain?”

“Undyne.”

“Undyne.”

After a few seconds, everyone in the room began to laugh. Chara wiped a tear from his eyes and calmed himself down. “Alright, I should’ve expected that response.” He sighed and tapped his foot. “He was the captain of the high school’s baseball team, but the best way to describe him personally would be to call him the ‘parent friend.’”

“Parent friend?” Cass tilted her head and Chara shrugged.

“Basically he was like a concerned father whenever he interacted with either his friends or friends of his family.” Chara chuckled. “It was kind of amusing to watch actually. Plus, almost all of his jokes were ‘dad jokes’ if you took the time to connect the dots.”

_ “Oh dear god why…?”  _ Flowey muttered at the prospect.

“One time, when I was at their house, I noticed him knitting a scarf. When I asked why he said that one of his friends didn’t have proper winter clothes. I understood what that was like, and I guess he was able to read my expression, because a few seconds after, he asked if I wanted one.” Chara smiled and sighed. “I said yes, and the moment he was done with the first scarf he went right to work on another one.”

“That was nice of him.” Cass muttered. Chara nodded in agreement.

“It was. And it made me really happy that he did that. At the time, I wasn’t interested in the process, but a couple of weeks afterwards, he was knitting something again, except I couldn’t tell what it was…” Chara scoffed at himself. “I walked up and just...Watched. No words spoken from either of us, just pure concentration on whatever it was he was making. After a while, when he was finished, he held it up and looked it over. As it turns out, he was making a beanie. He smiled at his handiwork, and then put on my head.”

“Just like that? Not even asking if you wanted it?” Flowey shook his head and Chara shrugged in response.

“I was just as confused. He simply said ‘It’s to go with your scarf.’” Chara scratched his arm a bit and sighed. “After that, I glanced at the knitting needles, and he happened to take notice. He handed them to me and asked if I wanted to try making something.”

“What’d you make?” Cass looked up at Chara and he took in a breath.

“It was  _ SUPPOSED _ to be a scarf, but since I didn’t really voice that out until it was done, it ended up being one of those decorative square designs that some people like to hang around their house.” Chara chuckled at the memory. “When I told him that, he chuckled and told me to voice that next time so he could walk me through with more direction. The next time I visited, we made exactly that. He walked me through different techniques, different creations...It was fun.” Chara looked to the floor somberly. “The last thing I made with his guidance was a sweater. Not a pretty one mind you, just...A brown sweater, with a darker brown stripe. I...Wanted to wait till winter to wear it... _ Never did though…” _

Flowey looked down at the floor while Chara wiped a few tears from his eyes. Cass leaned into Chara and patted his arm. He smiled and patted her head before humming. “Just what exactly, were you hoping I’d be able to make?” Cass reached behind them and grabbed her game, pointing at the smaller figure on the screen with her thumb. Chara chuckled a bit. “I’d say, even if I did know how to knit an animal, that’d still give me trouble.”

Cass frowned and set the game aside.  _ “Well, that was worth a shot…”  _ Chara chuckled and ruffled her hair, taking the now empty bowl from her hands.

“At least you’re mature enough to not argue.” Cass giggled as Chara stood up and made his way to the door. He looked back at Cass and Flowey, who were right back in their previous location from when he first entered. “Have fun. I’m sure one of us we’ll be back up with your meds.” He waved them off and Cass waved back, turning her attention back to her game.

“I...Didn’t pay attention to what the NPC was saying…” Cass admitted after a few seconds. She sighed and ran a hand down her face before looking down at Flowey.

“I’ll figure it out, don’t worry. Just continue the dialogue.” Cass nodded and the two’s focus was right back on their game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got distracted by many, many videos of something. If you squint and recognize the signs, the source of that distraction makes a cameo in this chapter.
> 
> The next and last chapter will be Cass bonding with Flowey and Toriel. That may take longer so sorry about that in advance...


End file.
